Process and apparatus for feeding glass



Aplf. il?, 11923. mmm? VV. J. MILLER PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR FEEDING GLASS Filed Jan. '7, 1921 yatentecl Apr'. 1'2', 1923. l

WILLIAM J. MILLER, or swIssvALE, PEnNsYLvANm PaocEss AND APPARATUS ron PEEDING eLAss.

Application led January 7, 1921.

y To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. MILLER, a citizen of the United States, and .residing in the borough of Swissvale, in. the county of Allegheny and State of'Penn'sylvania,

- ,Y have invented or discoverednew, useful, and

lower end of the next gather when ing shifted, by mech Tt is usual in Improved Processes and Apparatus for Feedin Glass, of which the following is a-s eci cation. Y

y invention consists in a new and improved process and apparatus for feeding molten glass from the tank or other container to glass fabricating mechanism.

The present practice in the mechanical feeding of glass is to cause the same to protrude from the discharge orifice and to detach the protruding glass at proper intervals to form gathers which drop down vor are conveyed to the fabricating mechanism.

The detachment or serving of the glass whether accomplished by means of shears or other cutting members, or by breakage of the thinned' neckor b results in a chilled and hardened end of the sheared or shortened stub which forms the the latter is detached. The result is that the lower end of the gather is hardened and thus causes a. scar in the fabricated article.

Furthermore, where a cup `or receptacle is used to catch the stream of glass flowing from the discharge port, thereby building up 'a A chargedv from the cup, the contact of the glass with the bottom of the. cup results 1n a chilled end in the gather.

Again, .after a shearing operation, it is common practice to temporarily interrupt the stream of glass'fwhile the molds are beanical means, such, for instance, as holding the shears closed beneath the discharge orice. i This also results in producing a chilled and hardened end.

Thus, in, such cases, the lower end'of the gather is chilled and hardened, while 'the upper end is hot and in proper condition, for instance, to form the neck of a bottle.

fabricating narrow mouth ware to form the parison in an inverted position; with the neck down. Therefore the chilled and hardened end of the gather is presented wherel the hot end should be.

any other method,

gob or gather which is then dis# ,Serial No. 435,688.

vlin other forms of for instance, the it is desirable to glass fabrication, as, pressing of vault lights present the chilled an hardened end of the gather to the forming element which engages the gather from above.` ln the present manner of feeding, however, the hot end of the gather is presented to the forming elemen The object T have in view is the presentation of the gather in the fabricating1 mechanlsm, so that its hot and chilled en s may be properly positioned.

l e`ect this object by reversing the gather, after it is detached, so that its hot end, instead of its chilled end, is presented below when the gather reaches the fabricating mechanism.

Thus in my improved method of feeding, the glass protruding or caused to protrude from the discharge orifice of the tank or other container for molten glass, is detached at proper intervals to form the gathers, and as the same fall down to or are conveyed to the fabricating mechanism, the gathers are reversed end for' end to present their hot ends first to themolds.

For the accomplishment of this purpose I interpose between the discharge orifice and the fabricating mechanism means which are engaged by the detached gathers and which edect a reversal of the saine.

ln the accompanying drawings which are proper however merely intended to illustrate a practical embodiment of the principles of my invention, without limiting the scope of the latter to the construction shown, Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view in vertical section, illustrating improved apparatus embodying the principles of my invention, the glass being shown flowing down out of the discharge orifice into a cup aving a removable. bottom, and below which is ositioned the gather' reversing device, andp device is shown a paris'on mold; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the reversing device shown in Fig. l; Fig. .3 is a longitudinal section of the same showing the gather detached and deposited by the receiving cup on said reversing device; Fig. 4 shows 'the gather moved to the other end of the device, and Fig. `5 is a similarview showing the gather reversed end for end anddropping down through the discharge port of the reversing below which cylinder device vinto .the open top oflthe waiting mold. j j f The'following is a detailed description of my invention as the same is illustrated in principle in the drawings. J A represents the boot or shallow extension of a fiow dl'scharge port B.` Said port is shown provided with a bushing 1.l having a downwardly 'tapering bore, and beneath sald bushing a mouth ring 2 whose bore determines the thickness .or diameter of the stream of lass flowing vthrough the discharge ori ce. Thus a mouth ring having the proper sired thickness ofI the stream, may be 1nstalled. A3 is a recessed metal ring attached to the underside of the boot A' to support the mouth ring and bushing in place. l

C represents a pair of coacting power driven shear blades mounted beneath the.

discharge orifice and adapted to shut together to sever the stream of glass. I have not shown inrdetail the construction of the shear blades and the actuating means therefor, as such mechanisms are old inthe art and well known to those skilled in the latter. 1

D is a receivlng cup or receptacle sup-` ported beneath the 'shears and in vertical' alinement with the axis of the discharge port. Said cup is provided with automatic means for emptying it of its contents at proper intervals. cup provided with a slide bottom 4 which is opened and shut at proper intervals by any convenient means such as the Huid pressure and piston mechanism Below the cup iD, so as to receive 4its .contents, when discharged, is the reversing device E shown asa body of suitable material provided with a pair of Opposed slides or trough-like surfaces 5 and 6 convergingat the bottom. 7 is the discharge ort in the lower end of the surface 6. The troughlikevsurface 6 is preferably shorter than is 5.l G represents a mold, shown as a parison mold with, an open top to receive the gather descendin/g through the port 7 and sho`wn provi'de at its lower end with the neck formin element or plunger 8.

The .operation of the mechanical embodiment/,of the principles of my invention illustrat d in the drawings is as follows.

lfiile molten glass moves either by gravity o. other impulse out through the discharge orifice B into the cup D, said flow continuing until the necessary amount of glass for the desired gather has passed below the shears C. The bottom of the cup is then opened to permit the built up gob to drop, thus stretching and thinning the neck of glass which connects the gob to the dis'- charge orifice. The shears then close, cutting the attenuated neck, and chilling the glass tank, provided with a gravity bore to. produce, the de,

Thus I have shown saidglass 4directly-beneath the discharge 'orifice iiso that it tends to temporarily interrupt the flow 'of glass down through said orifice.

second previous shearing operation an also by contact with the bottom of the cup lowermost and its .hot end 10 uppermost. The gather slides down the incline ,5 and u the incline 6 to the end thereof, as shown at in Fig.l 4 with the scarred and hardened end 9 uppermost. The gather now -slides down the incline 6,' with its hardened end 9 uppermost and itsA hot end 10 lowermost, and drops down through the port 7 as shown at H2 in Fig. 5, to the waiting mold G, the hot end `l0 bemg below and the cold end 9 at the top. The upper end of the surface 6 acts as a stop to reverse the movement of the gather. It is evident that the gathers are thus automatically reversed, so that the chilled end does not interfere in any way with the manufacture of perfect ware. y

There is a distinct advantage in the use of .a cuptov receive the glass as `it discharges of cup feeding, is entirely eliminated by my invention.

However, the usefulness of my invention is by no means confined to cup feeding, since the reversal of the gather is highly advantageous inconnection with any method of feeding wherein the hardened end of the gather will not be properly positioned unless the gather is reversed, or wherein the reversal ofthe gather is desirable.

Although, for the sake of clearness of illustration I have minutely described the,

iembodiment of the principles of my intion shown in the drawings, I do not wish to limit myself thereby, but claim broadly l. The method of feeding molten glass from a container provided with a discharge orifice through which the glass is caused-to protrudewhich consistsin accumulating the protruding glass until the desired mass-has been obtained, detacbing said mass from the piling up on the bottom of the cup. This trouble, which has always been characteristic 'r'of bottom 4 of the cup D is then slid back' into discharge orifice to form a gather, discharging thc gather so formed, and reversing the gather, after the discharge, for the purpose described.

2. The method of feeding molten glass from a container provided with a discharge orifice through which the glass is caused to protrude which consists in accumulating the glass beneath the discharge orifice to form gathers, detaehing said gathers from the glass protruding from said orifice. discharging said detached gathers, and reversing the gathers after they are discharged, for the purpose described.

3. In glass feeding, for use. in connection with a container for molten glass provided with a discharge orifice through which the glass is caused to protrude, means for accumulating a mass of the protruding glass, means for severing said mass to form a gather, means for discharging said gather from said accumulating means, and means for reversing said gather after its said discharge, for the purpose described.

4f. lln glass feeding` for use in connection with a container for molten glass provided with a discharge orifice through which the glass is caused to protrude, the combination of a cup into which said protruding glass flows, means for severing the accumulated contents of said cup to form a gather, means for discharging the gather from said cup, and means for reversing said gather after its discharge, for the purpose described.

5. In glass feeding, for use in connection with a container for molten glass provided with a discharge orifice through which the glass is caused to rotrude` the combination With a cup in which the protruded glass accumulates, means for severing the glass in said cup to form a gather, means for discharging the gather from the cup. and gather reversing means upon which said gather is discharged, for the purpose described.

6. In glass feeding, for use in connection with a container for molten glass provided with a discharge orifice through which the glass is caused to protrude. the combination with a cup in which the protruded glass accumulatcs` intermittently operated means for severing the glass in said cup to form gathers, means for discharging the. gather from said cup. and gather reversing means upon which said gathers are discharged` for the purpose described.

T. A gather reversing device comprising a pair of opposed downwardly converging, inclined surfaces upon one of which surfaces thc gathersl are deposited. and the other surface being provided adjacent to the lower end with a discharge port. whereby the. gathers slide down said first -named surface and then up said second named surface and then down said second named surface and out through said port, for the purpose described.

8. A gather reversing device comprising a pair of trough-like inclines downwardl)7 converging and upon one of which inclines the gathcrsare deposited. and the other incline being provided at its lower end with a discharge port` Whercbv the gathers slide down said first named incline and then up the second named incline and then down said second named incline and out through said port, for the purpose described.

Signed at Pittsburgh, Pa., this 4th day of January, 1921.

WILLIAM J. YJLER. 

